Is Dr Pepper Cherry Zero Sugar ultra-processed?

Artificially sweetened beverages Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
E129 Allura red
E150c Ammonia caramel
E950 Acesulfame k
E951 Aspartame

13 ingredients
8 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed artificially sweetened beverages

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

carbonated water, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors (ultra-processing marker), aspartame (ultra-processing marker), acesulfame potassium (ultra-processing marker), sodium benzoate (preservative (processing marker)), citric acid, phosphoric acid, caffeine, malic acid, sodium phosphate, red 40 (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E129 Allura red , E150c Ammonia caramel , E211 Sodium benzoate , E296 Malic acid , E330 Citric acid , E338 Phosphoric acid , E950 Acesulfame k , E951 Aspartame

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

carbonated water, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sodium benzoate (preservative), citric acid, phosphoric acid, caffeine, malic acid, sodium phosphate, red 40

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

E129 Allura red Allura red AC is a synthetic red azo dye (FD&C Red No. 40 in the US).
E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
E950 Acesulfame k Acesulfame K is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, often combined with aspartame or sucralose.
E951 Aspartame Aspartame is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, used in diet drinks and sugar-free products.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

1 ingredient that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 525 artificially sweetened beverages

From least to most processed, this one ranks 316th. 98% of the artificially sweetened beverages here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 525 artificially sweetened beverages, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0078000035483, last edited 2 August 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.